News Broadcasting
CNN Intl announces changes in news gathering operations
MUMBAI: News broadcaster CNN International has announced a number of appointments within its international newsgathering operations in Asia-Pacific and Europe, Midlle East and Africa.
CNN International MD Chris Cramer says, “I am particularly delighted to have been able to make such a large number of strategically important changes from within the CNN family. This is a testament to the depth and expertise of the staff we have working at CNN”.
CNN Asia-Pacific managing editor, Jill Dougherty, will now be based in Washington D.C. and will be the US affairs editor, reporting for CNN International. She brings with her a unique global perspective having served as CNN’s Bureau Chief in Moscow for many years and previously, was a CNN White House correspondent travelling widely with former U.S. presidents.
Taking Dougherty’s place is CNN International’s executive producer in Asia-Pacific, Ellana Lee. As acting managing editor for CNN Asia-Pacific, Ellana will oversee both the newsgathering and programming output from CNN’s Hong Kong production base as well as work closely with advertising sales and distribution.
Aneesh Raman has been appointed as CNN’s Middle East correspondent and will be based in Cairo. This new title reflects his role in reporting from across the Middle East. Previously based in Baghdad, Aneesh has reported from numerous places in the past few months including Iran, Syria and Lebanon.
CNN’s Jerusalem correspondent, John Vause will now cover China. He is based in Bejing. He has been CNN’s Jerusalem’s correspondent since October 2003, reporting from the frontlines on Israel’s war with Hezbollah, the Israeli pullout from Gaza and extensively covered the war in Iraq, being the only international TV reporter to visit the destroyed safe house of Al Qaeda leader, Abu Musab al Zarqawi.
Atika Shubert, currently CNN’s correspondent in Tokyo responsible for the global news network’s coverage of Japan, moves to Jerusalem and joins the team led by Bureau Chief, Kevin Flower and correspondent, Ben Wedeman. Atika has covered several major news stories in Japan, including the recent election of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the birth of the new prince, the controversial deployment of Japan’s Self Defense Forces to Iraq, among other significant stories.
Joining CNN is Frederik Pleitgen who takes up the position as CNN’s Berlin correspondent. Frederik comes to CNN from German network broadcaster ZDF where he was the political editor.
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
